Liver Cirrhosis:It is a disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, slowly preventing the liver from functioning properly. It blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins. It also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver.
Causes:
HEPATITIS C, FATTY LIVER, and ALCOHOL ABUSE are the most common causes of cirrhosis.
But anything that damages the liver can cause cirrhosis, including:
*Fatty liver associated with obesity and diabetes.
*Chronic viral infections such as hepatitis types B, C, and D.
*Blockage of the bile duct, which carries bile formed in the liver to the intestines where it helps in the digestion of fats.
*Repeated heart failure with fluid backing up into the liver.
*Certain inherited diseases such as Cystic fibrosis, Glycogen storage diseases(Unable to process glycogen to sugar), Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency(absence of a specific enzyme in the liver), hemochromatosis(condition in which excessive iron is absorbed and deposited into the liver),
Wilson's disease(caused by the abnormal storage of copper in the liver).
*Other causes include reactions to prescription drugs, prolonged exposure to environmental toxins, or parasitic infections.